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☰
Eisenhower Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Eisenhower Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 119 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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J. S. from Boulder, CO
(4/4/2005)
"Fantastic Time, Great Race" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and it was a great experience. The whole town had signs up welcoming runners. The course was scattered with signs cheering us on. The volunteers were amazing; ready to cheer us on, and offer us encouragement. The water stops were awesome! The high school marching band gave me a great boost. They were placed around mile 9/17 and it was nice to here some good 'fight songs.' The clown at the Shriners water station was great too. It was a great marathon with a great small-town feel. I plan to do it again, and I can't wait. | |
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P. A. from Fairfield, Iowa
(4/3/2005)
"Outstanding small-town marathon " (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great marathon for those who don't like crowds. Not a lot of spectators, but those who were there were great. Lots of places for family and friends to view the race. Out-and-back course is absolutely flat for the first and last 5 miles. Middle 16 miles feature soft rolling hills of little consequence. Route is totally shut off to traffic and very safe. Great aid stations featuring water, bottled water, Powerade, gel packs, bananas, oranges, candy, animal crackers, vaseline, Band-Aids and on and on. Volunteers are tremendously hospitable and all thanked us for running. The marathon featured a seasoned group of runners from all corners of the country. Very few locals participated. Half the field seemed like '50 staters' which says something about this being the place to run a marathon in Kansas. Weather was drop-dead perfect, but... the first two years it was just the opposite. Race day registration a plus. Lots of food before the start. Great free pancake and sausage feed after the race. Could have used a few more porta-potties at the start. Nice shirt and bandana. Nice looking medal. Lots of pictures being taken. Best of all, marathon participants get a DVD of the race! Abilene is a great little town with lots of interesting history. | |
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R. A. from US
(4/3/2005)
"best kept secret" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Eisenhower Marathon is one of the best organized and friendly small races ever. The sign all over this small Kansas city welcoming runners was a reminder what people are like in the heart of the US. The gentle rolling hills make it a very pleasant run. Bravo, Abilene, for a wonderful race. | |
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D. M. from Kansas City, Missouri
(4/3/2005)
"Great from start to finish" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was terrific. A PR for me. The people were incredibly hospitable and well organized. From packet pick-up to the end of the race nothing but smiles and a lot of, 'Can I help you?' The course was great, all paved as advertised with some rolling hills and a beautiful park. The road crews were very efficient in keeping traffic off the course and all of the police officers were very nice and encouraging. The water stations were fantastic. They had water, Powerade, cookies, M&M's, fresh fruit and gel. I was amazed. My favorite was the HS marching band. In closing, what really impressed me most was the way they treated you at the finish line. I had barely stepped over the timing pad and two gentlemen were there, one was wrapping me in a blanket the other providing water and asking me if I was OK. They truly showed concern for the runners. If you want a small-town race with big-city organization, go to Abilene; they know how to put on a race. I know I will be going back next year. | |
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Steve Hibbs from Minneapolis, MN
(4/2/2005)
"Great Small-Town Race" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a great race. The two sisters who organize the race definitely know what they're doing. From the three young ladies who sang the National Anthem to the post-race food and awards, they got it all right -- and this year they got good weather to boot. Things I especially liked: Race-day packet pick-up. Coming in late Friday knowing I can pick up my number is a huge stress reliever. In addition to the shirt, they also provide a bandana, which I thought was a cool touch. The water stops were phenomenal. My vote for the best one has to go to the H.S. marching band. Great job!!! The post-race food was excellent, in particular the pancakes. The course management was also excellent. For an out-and-back on a rural highway I would have anticipated at least one car getting through, but it didn't happen. So kudos to the road managment crew. The course was good. I heard that it was flat, but I wouldn't call it flat. I wouldn't call it slow, though. It had very gently rolling hills. Nothing too bad, and it breaks up the monotony of running a flat course. The spectators. Although there weren't that many, I have to say that for those who stood out and cheered, they cheered with class and enthusiasm. Many of them also created banners for their yards. For those of you looking to do a fun marathon with that small-town feel and some good down home cooking, go to the Eisenhower Marathon. They'll treat you well and you'll likely run away with a good time -- in all respects. | |
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Ron Steinhilber from El Mirage, Arizona
(4/13/2004)
"Great marathon, train in a wind-tunnel" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I would have absolutely loved this event except for the race-day weather, which obviously the organizers had nothing to do with. First, I loved the small-town feel of Abilene. Everybody was exceptionally kind to me. The packets were ready to go. The T-shirts were ready. There were even maps with every water stop placed on them and with places for spectators to see us run, which is very important for me since by wife supports me in every marathon I do. It was also important because the course is closed to all traffic during the race. And this is the main road through town!! On race-day, it was windy, very windy heading out on the out-and-back course. The water stops were well-operated and they were the BEST I have ever seen. They had water, Powerade, and fruit at every stop (approximately 1 mile apart). Others had Nutrigrain bars and trail mix. God bless those people for standing out in the wind and sometimes rain to help us idiots. I want to thank each and every one of you. The course would be a good one on most days, with rolling hills throughout. It can be a little boring just because there really isn't much to look at while running, but I enjoyed it. Not many spectators, but those who were out cheered each one of us one like we were one of their loved ones. At the end, just as I crossed the finish line, I immediately had a wrap on me, my ankle braclet (chip) was off and I had my medal. Someone even escorted me to the recovery area. I felt like I had won the race. I probably will never run this race again as I am trying to run 50 and DC, but it is not because I didn't enjoy it. For all those who are looking to run in Kansas, I suggest this race, just hope it is not windy. | |
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Kamika Smith from Kauai, Hawaii
(3/31/2004)
"Lots of Aloha in Abilene!" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The family and friends who organize this marathon put a lot of love into making this a great small race! The course is good with rolling hills, aid stations at almost every mile helped with the incentive to continue on, even in brisk winds. At mile 22, major rain and lightning came down but the spectators kept us going with encouragement. So far, most exciting race I've run, seeing lightning and thinking that maybe there might be a tornado around the corner! Maybe it would have made my time a lot better! Thanks Abilene! | |
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J. C. from NEWPORT KENTUCKY
(3/30/2004)
"Thanks for a great time" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I want to thank all the volunteers that helped in so many ways. Yes, we ran the race, but in no way could we do it without them. The before and after was also perfect. Thanks again to everyone involved. The weather was horrible - at times scary with the lightning - but the good Lord protected us. | |
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H. B. from Arlington, TX
(3/30/2004)
"Race volunteers and fans deserve much praise" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I never judge a marathon by the weather conditions because the weather is something that cannot be controlled. But because of the sometimes horrible weather conditions, all of the race volunteers and supporters deserve much more praise and thanks than we could ever give them. It was extremely windy and several waves of hard rain occurred while I was running. I was a back-of-the-pack finisher and I found that not one of the aid stations had been abandoned by the volunteers. They stood by their posts thru all the wind, rain, and occasional lightning to serve us runners. Everything was well organized from start to finish, and despite the weather, I enjoyed the race. Thank you very much to all the people involved in hosting the race. | |
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c. p. from Branson, Missouri
(3/29/2004)
"Spectators" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I ran in the half-marathon just two days ago. I have to admit it was a lonely track with few supporters at the end of the race. I imagined lots of fans cheering for the last few miles; instead found a few Red Cross workers. Anyhow, being from out of state and having no one I knew cheer me on, it was a bit dissapointing that there weren't any more fans. |
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